Levitra

Levitra is a prescription drug used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. It can assist men with this disorder in achieving and maintaining an erection during sexual activity. It should not be used with types of medicines called nitrates and alpha-blockers because of potentially dangerous interactions with these drugs. Television commercials for the drug also warn that in the event an erection lasts for more than four hours, a condition known as priapism, medical advice should be sought immediately.

Vardenafil was co-marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline under the trade name Levitra. According to a press release issued by the Bayer group on January 10, 2005, the co-promotion rights of GlaxoSmithKline on Levitra have been "transferred back" to Bayer for major markets in Asia, Europe, Africa, and other areas outside of the United States. Both companies continue to co-promote Levitra in the United States. In Italy, Bayer markets the product as Levitra and GSK markets the product as Vivanza.

As a PDE5 inhibitor, vardenafil is closely related in both function and marketing to sildenafil and tadalafil; it has a relatively short effective time, comparable to sildenafil. It is available in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg doses in round orange tablets. The normal starting dose is 10 mg, roughly equivalent to 50 mg of sildenafil, and like sildenafil the maximum recommended frequency of use is once daily.

Copyright 2007 Pharmaceutical Partners